One calls Dover, Del., its home; the other, McMinnville, Ore.
One is ranked No. 7 in the country, the other is ranked No. 5. But
when this Saturday rolls around, and Linfield and Wesley line up
for their second-round matchup, it will mark a first for both
storied programs.

In a rare Division III battle of the coasts, Linfield will come
east for the first time since the 2004 Stagg Bowl to face Wesley in
arguably the best matchup so far of this year's playoffs.

"It's great for Division III [but] it's ridiculous that it's in
round two," Smith said. "I think that's an absolute sham. This
should be a semifinal-type matchup, or at least a quarterfinal
matchup, and I think that's a disservice to the two programs, but
there are seven or eight teams [that can win the Stagg Bowl] and
these are two of them."

How do two of the top seven teams in the country end up playing
in the second round of the playoffs? It's simply a byproduct of the
NCAA's layout of this year's bracket. The Mary Hardin-Baylor
quadrant, which features Linfield and Wesley, is loaded. All eight
of the teams were ranked 31st or higher in the final D3football.com
poll of the regular season. Like Smith, Wesley coach Mike Drass
noticed that immediately upon viewing the bracket.

"I thought the eight teams in our region were extremely
talented," Drass said. "I don't know what other people think, but
in my humble opinion ... it seems like there's a heck of a lot of
talent on the teams in our [bracket]."

While it was confirmed that Mary Hardin-Baylor was the No. 1
seed, seeds for the other seven teams weren't revealed. So Smith
and Drass didn't find out until Sunday morning which team was
hosting. With nearly 3,000 miles separating the two schools, there
was a little more at stake than usual. Smith was discouraged to
find out his squad drew the short end not only travelwise, but
timewise as well. The noon ET kickoff will feel like 9 a.m. for
coaches and players used to living out west.

"It's a huge challenge, and I think that's something that I'd
like to see changed in Division III for teams that are facing a
three-hour time difference earlier," Smith said. "It's really only
the west teams. ... It's ridiculous. You're getting a wake-up call
at, what seems to you, at 4:30 in the morning. That's just not very
conducive."

Smith said the Wildcats have played four games in central time
zone areas, such as Wisconsin and Minnesota, over the last eight
years. To his knowledge, a 2004 matchup with Rowan stands as
Linfield's only matchup with an East Coast team.

Drass, who has been forced to travel long distances in past
postseasons, understands what Linfield is up against, but admitted
he was relieved his team was selected to host.

"Without question [we're happy to be hosting]," Drass said.
"We've been in this situation before. We had to fly to Texas around
Thanksgiving and you're trying to do everything you can to take
care of your families, take care of kids. You have to try and do
your best to help your families, but you've got to travel your
team."

The Wildcats will fly out to Delaware on Thanksgiving itself,
Smith said. Ultimately, the travel and time zone difference only
underscore the true value of this game -- a potentially classic
matchup between two of Division III's best teams over the last
decade.

The numbers speak for themselves -- Linfield is 93-15 since
2002, including 14-5 in the playoffs. That includes a Stagg Bowl
title and another NCAA semifinals appearance in 2009. Wesley is
99-21 since 2002, including a 16-6 mark in the playoffs. That
includes four NCAA semifinals appearances since 2005.

"I think it's an exciting game," Drass said. "... Here are two
teams, when people talk about some of the better football teams in
Division III, our names have both come up. It's a great opportunity
for a West Coast school to play an East Coast school, and vice
versa. That's exciting."

Wesley and Linfield both had to grind out wins in the first
round, a theme that will likely continue for the winner of
Saturday's contest.

Wesley held off a banged-up Hobart squad 35-28, but made the
game closer than it should have by turning the ball over four times
inside its own 20-yard line. The Wolverines also allowed a blocked
punt, which Hobart returned for a third-quarter touchdown to keep
things close.

Quarterback Shane McSweeny was sharp, completing 18 of 27 passes
for 336 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing for 61 yards.

Mike Asiedu is second on the
Wolverines in tackles and has a 90-yard interception return to his
credit.
Wesley athletics photo

Askia Jahad, a bigger back with above-average speed, has stepped
in nicely for Brandon Wright, who was lost for the season with a
torn ACL in the Wolverines' seventh game of the season. Tight end
Sean McAndrew (30 receptions, seven touchdowns) is McSweeny's
security blanket in the passing game. Wide receivers Matt Barile
and Steve Koudossu are both big-play threats, while Jeremiah Howe
is a reliable slot/possession-type of receiver.

Defensively, the Wolverines boast a fast, athletic unit, led by
defensive end Chris Mayes. Defensive tackle Paul Gilstrop and
linebackers Jeff Morgan, Mike Asiedu and Sosthene Kapepula are also
key factors on one of the country's best defenses.

Linfield quarterback Mickey Inns (2,448 yards, 28 touchdowns,
six interceptions) has been one of the country's most consistent
signal callers this season. Inns threw for 152 yards and tossed
touchdowns to three receivers in the Wildcats' 30-27 win over Cal
Lutheran in the first round. Running back Josh Hill also had a
strong day, rushing for 146 yards and 27 carries. Drass said Hill
has 2,000-yard potential and will be a key focal point for Wesley's
defense.

Linfield sits at 10-0 and is coming off a third straight
Northwest Conference title. Wesley, an independent, enters the game
with a 10-1 mark, its only loss coming in the second week to Kean.
Drass said that loss served as a wake-up call. So much so, in fact,
that Drass said the Wolverines tallied their "turning point"
victory just three weeks later against Charleston Southern, a
Division I FCS team with 60 scholarship players.

"After we lost to Kean, I thought, as a team, we had one of two
directions to go," Drass said. "We went through that same situation
in 2009 when we lost to Delaware Valley the first game of the
season. We know the drill, you can't lose, especially if you're
independent like we are, or in the Atlantic Central, which was only
a four-team league back then."

The winner of Saturday's matchup will likely earn a quarterfinal
matchup with Mary Hardin-Baylor, which faces McMurry in the second
round. But for now, both coaches are focused on their new -- and
quite formidable -- opponents.

"We're pretty excited about it," Smith said. "We've never been
to Delaware, I've never been there. It's fun to go somewhere new
and those guys are a good coaching staff. We're pretty excited
about it, it'll be fun."